- Member of Parliament
- Member of Parliament
- Conservative
- Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis
- Quebec
- Voting Attendance: 66%
- Expenses Last Quarter: $88,640.78
- Government Page
- Jun/3/24 3:01:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Montrealers are fed up. They are finding used syringes on the doorsteps to their homes, their day cares and their businesses along with human waste on the ground. The reality of the Bloc-Liberal alliance is $500 billion in reckless spending that has contributed to this homelessness crisis. It is budget chaos and social chaos.
Can this Prime Minister, backed by the Bloc Québécois, stop wasting Quebeckers' money so they can have a safe city again?
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- Jun/3/24 3:00:34 p.m.
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- Re: Bill C-5
Mr. Speaker, after nine years of this Liberal government, it is crisis after crisis.
Two-thirds of Montreal's population see their city plagued by homelessness, drugs, street gangs and gun violence. This social disorder has been caused by the Bloc Québécois, which supported Bill C-5 so that criminals could be sent home rather than to prison. This is costing Quebeckers dearly in terms of security.
When will this Prime Minister, backed by the Bloc Québécois, stop imposing misery on Quebeckers?
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- May/30/24 2:09:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the housing crisis is reaching an unsustainable level for Canadians. La Presse reported that it takes 610 days to obtain a building permit in some parts of Montreal. That is almost two years.
Quebeckers are suffering and the leader of the Conservative Party sees that. He is taking concrete action to alleviate Quebeckers' suffering. His legislation to build homes, not bureaucracy requires cities to build housing quickly, with rewards for cities that do and penalties for those that put up bureaucratic hurdles.
The Bloc Québécois voted against this solution yesterday, just as it voted against Quebec's fundamental interests when it voted in favour of $500 billion in spending. The Bloc Québécois refuses to make housing more affordable. This housing crisis requires common-sense solutions. Canadians need them badly. Not only does the Bloc Québécois refuse to meet Quebeckers' needs, it also opposes solutions aimed at making their lives better.
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- May/29/24 2:04:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Prevost, a flagship located in Sainte-Claire in the Bellechasse RCM, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. It all began when Eugène Prévost received an order for a wooden coach, a replica of which has been built for the 100th anniversary celebrations. Over the years, Mr. Prévost earned a reputation for his high-quality workmanship that will never fade. In fact, his reputation was such that, in 1943, the federal government placed an order with him for buses to transport soldiers and war factory workers.
Today, Prevost employs over 1,000 workers who build buses for cities, for superstars and even for political parties to use during election campaigns. This company has stood the test of time, as has the community where it was founded, Sainte-Claire, which is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year.
Congratulations to Eugène Prévost for his vision and congratulations to all of the artisans who make us so proud. I wish the president of Volvo Group Canada and Prevost, François Tremblay, and his team a happy 100th anniversary.
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- May/27/24 2:59:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after nine years of this Liberal-Bloc Prime Minister, Quebeckers are living in unbearable misery because of the housing and homelessness crisis.
The more the government spends, with the Bloc Québécois's support, the more the Quebec nation struggles. The Bloc is keeping this Prime Minister in power.
Can the Bloc Québécois end this spectacle and think of Quebeckers, instead of supporting the misery this Prime Minister is putting them through?
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- May/27/24 2:58:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after nine years, this Liberal-Bloc Prime Minister is simply not worth the cost.
The Bloc Québécois voted in favour of $500 billion in spending because it wants to keep the Liberal government in power. Quebeckers are homeless, starving and sleeping in dumpsters, and the Bloc Québécois supports the Liberals, who are responsible for this suffering.
Will this Liberal-Bloc Prime Minister stop his reckless spending and let Quebeckers live in dignity?
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- May/10/24 11:35:52 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, after nine years of this Liberal government, Quebeckers have had nine years of misery: budget chaos, criminals on the loose, unaffordable food and housing. Instead of thinking about fixing the budget, the Bloc Québécois is voting for $500 billion in wacko, inflationary spending.
The more this Bloc Québécois-backed government spends, the more Quebeckers suffer. The Bloc Québécois and the Prime Minister are not worth the cost.
Can this Prime Minister and the Bloc Québécois start thinking about Quebeckers and stop wasting their money?
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- May/10/24 11:34:35 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, Quebeckers are suffering after nine years of this Liberal government and its wastefulness, which is driving up the cost of living.
This Prime Minister's reckless spending knows no bounds, and the Bloc Québécois is supporting him in this spending spree. That is evidenced by the fact that the Bloc Québécois voted in favour of hiring an additional 110,000 federal public servants. The Bloc agrees with sending Quebeckers' money to Ottawa and is voting in favour of that. What is the world coming to?
When will this Prime Minister, who is supported by the Bloc Québécois, stop increasing the suffering of Quebeckers with his wasteful spending?
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- May/7/24 2:38:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is sad to see how disconnected they are.
Quebeckers are facing humiliating choices. Food or housing? Toilet paper or toothpaste? Soap or deodorant? How is that possible in Canada in 2024?
Quebeckers and Canadians deserve better. The Bloc Québécois and the Prime Minister are not worth the cost. Can this Prime Minister, supported by the Bloc Québécois, show a bit of humanity toward Quebeckers and end all this hunger, homelessness and misery?
The Liberals think this is funny. I think it is awful. They are laughing across the way. It is terrible.
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- May/7/24 2:37:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after nine years of this Liberal government, Canadians can no longer make ends meet.
The Governor of the Bank of Canada has said that this Prime Minister's reckless spending is making it hard to lower interest rates. Canadians are struggling to put a roof over their heads and food on the table, and the Bloc Québécois is continuing to encourage the Prime Minister by agreeing to let him spend $500 billion.
When will this Prime Minister, who is supported by the Bloc Québécois, stop impoverishing Canadians with its inflationary policies and devastating spending?
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- May/6/24 5:03:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals put on quite the spectacle. Pharmacare was not even part of their election platform. As a minority, they rely on their NDP friends to keep their hold on power, sometimes with help from their Bloc Québécois friends too—we must not forget that. Then they turn around and criticize us for supporting or not supporting measures that they never raised with Canadians themselves. They cozy up to the NDP, which received only 7.7% of the vote in the last election, and have the nerve to lecture us. We are not going to take that.
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- May/6/24 5:01:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is just wishful thinking. I read the bill carefully. There is nothing specific in it and everything remains to be done. No agreements have been reached with the provinces and a list of drugs has not yet been compiled. All the bill says is that a strategy will be developed and a committee of experts will be set up.
This is just pure politics, completely partisan politics. As I demonstrated in my speech, the only reason this minority Liberal government proposed the pharmacare and dental care programs was to stay in power. It is supported by the NDP, which said that the Liberals had to bring in a pharmacare program to stay in power. Let us not kid ourselves this afternoon. That is the Liberal government's real motivation, and it is a national disgrace.
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- May/6/24 5:00:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what is clear to us is that the economic situation in Canada right now is very precarious, even worrisome. We have a government that spends money hand over fist. Canada's debt has doubled since 2015 and public debt charges are up to $54 billion. That is money that is being thrown onto the fire. It is not being used to help Canadians. That money is being given to bankers because we are spending too much here in Canada. It is therefore a very bad idea to implement a pharmacare program when the vast majority of Canadians and all Quebeckers already have drug coverage.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak to Bill C-64, an act respecting pharmacare, to highlight two major concerns. The first is the federal government's intrusion into matters of provincial jurisdiction, and the second is budgetary concerns.
This neo-liberal initiative, which came from the Liberal-NDP coalition, raises serious concerns because of its impact on provincial jurisdictions. During its nine years in power, this Liberal government has not even been able to properly and competently manage its own files. How, then, do the Liberals think they can get away with interfering in provincial health care by imposing Bill C‑64 on the provinces, including Quebec, which has been offering Quebeckers its own pharmacare program since 1997, so for nearly 30 years?
Instead of continuing to overstep its boundaries by interfering in provincial affairs, the government should focus on matters within its jurisdiction, such as managing passports, fighting crime, fixing the immigration system, which it broke, and cutting inflationary taxes. These are just a few examples of areas where it needs to direct its attention and energy, instead of investing time and money in provincial matters.
A pharmacare program is not a program that should be set up at the federal level. That is a provincial responsibility. This arrogant, pretentious government wants to impose its science when it totally lacks the authority to manage this type of file.
Was this pharmacare program designed in close co-operation with all provinces, territories and indigenous peoples? Was it developed following a thorough review of what already exists in each of these areas of responsibility? Is it the result of thoughtful consultation with experts and stakeholders? We know the answer: Of course not.
We have here a shameful attempt by the Liberal government to stay in power thanks to the support of the NDP. The Journal de Montréal's Yasmine Abdelfadel writes, and I quote:
Make no mistake: Justin Trudeau has sold his soul to the NDP. The New Democrats are the ones who are really in power, the same New Democrats that did not have the support of the public in the last election.
This initiative seems well intentioned, but it is not. Because the Liberals only hold a minority, they found a dance partner, the NDP, which is keeping them in power in exchange for the implementation of various measures that the New Democrats care about, like dental care and pharmacare, the issue that is before us today.
Canadians did not vote for that or for the NDP. Only 17.7% of Canadians supported this far-left party in the last election.
Also, Radio-Canada notes that neither dental care nor pharmacare were part of the Liberals' election platforms.
Despite what they want us to believe, this pharmacare bill is therefore no reflection of the NDP-Liberal coalition's benevolence toward Canadians. It is mere political and electoral theatre. To suggest otherwise is to lie to Canadians.
Now, getting down to dollars and cents, this pharmacare plan, as proposed, would generate massive costs, a concern that seems to have been glossed over, if not completely ignored. In a report published on October 12, 2023, the Parliamentary Budget Officer wrote the following:
...we estimate the incremental cost to the public sector (that is federal and provincial governments combined) to be $11.2 billion in 2024-25, increasing to $13.4 billion in 2027-28.
I would remind the House that the Parliamentary Budget Officer thinks the total is going to reach $40 billion.
I find it hard to trust in the current government's ability not only to implement an effective pharmacare program, but also, and more importantly, to maintain it over the long term. A government that has proven repeatedly since 2015 that it cannot maintain a balanced budget and is fiscally incompetent does not exactly inspire confidence.
I think it is worth reminding the people watching at home that the national debt has doubled since the Liberals came to power in 2015. It now stands at $1.255 trillion. I also want to remind everyone that since we have to borrow money to pay for the Liberals' reckless spending—because they are spending money they do not have—we are also paying interest. The interest on this unbelievable debt is $54 billion. That is more than the total amount of health transfers to the provinces, and it is the equivalent of all the GST paid by Canadians. This money is being thrown away to pay for the creation of programs that already exist.
Access to medication is a major concern for Canadians, which is why it is imperative that we carefully examine the viability of such a program, so as to be absolutely certain that it will last over the the very long term. More than anything else, it is hard to justify creating such programs, which would require additional bureaucracy and uncontrolled spending, when the vast majority of Canadians, four out of five, or 80% according to Statistics Canada, already have drug coverage in their respective provinces, coverage that is even broader than what is proposed in Bill C‑64.
Here is what Quebec's health minister, Christian Dubé, had to say to La Presse:
Not only is the government refusing to give us the money we asked for in federal health transfers, but it wants to interfere in an area of Quebec jurisdiction. The federal government knows full well that this is an area of provincial jurisdiction. We've had our own drug insurance program since 1997. It's been nearly 30 years. We also probably have the broadest drug coverage of any Canadian province.
By the way, he also pointed out that 45% of Quebeckers are entitled to drug insurance coverage through the public plan and that 55% of Quebeckers have private insurance. Guess what? Fifty-five per cent plus 45% equals 100%.
The federal government has caused countless crises in Canada since coming to power. Canadians continue to be both witnesses and victims of this incompetence every day in things like immigration, passports—we are starting to see lineups again—the correctional system, the use of food banks or the lack of affordable housing across Canada. Do my colleagues know that since the Liberals came to power in 2015, the public service has grown by 40% and hired 100,000 public servants?
I am going to quote a sharp mind on the subject of bureaucracy. I would not bet that he is a Conservative. Listen to this:
Like a black hole, it can also absorb astronomical budgets without leading to an improvement to public services.
Look at the Phoenix pay system, the chaos in immigration management, the ArriveCAN saga, the passports saga, the airports saga, etc. Despite the huge amounts of money squandered on new programs administered by an armada of public servants and the gigantic debt it has run up, the [Liberal] government's incompetence at delivering effective services to the public continues to defy expectations.
That is a quote from Boucar Diouf.
I want to close by quoting Gérald Filion, an economics journalist who is very well respected in Quebec. In his opinion, the government is creating a lot of programs and economists are concerned about the impact that will have on Canada's credit rating. The creation of many expensive programs that must be maintained in the future means additional spending.
All of the provinces offer coverage, particularly Quebec. We therefore recommend that we not go forward with this bill because we cannot afford it right now with this government's reckless spending.
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- May/6/24 2:50:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after nine years, the Bloc Québécois continues to support this Prime Minister in his reckless spending. The Bloc Québécois wants more transfers to the provinces, but it is voting in favour of $500 billion in centralizing and inflationary allocations. It is incomprehensible.
Without housing, Quebeckers will become homeless, which has a major impact on the health care system. The Bloc Québécois and the Prime Minister are simply not worth the cost.
When will this Prime Minister, with the support of the Bloc Québécois, stop wasting money so that Quebeckers can finally find a dignified place to live?
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- Apr/18/24 2:24:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have a number for him: nine. Nine years of this Liberal government means nine years of inflationary policies, nine years of wasting Canadians' money, nine years of recklessness and indifference towards them. It means money everywhere except in the pockets of Canadians. It means criminals everywhere except in prison. It means affordable rent everywhere except in Canada. Why are so many things broken? The answer is very simple and very clear. It is because of this Prime Minister, who is not worth the cost.
Will he put an end to the budget mess and give a little more thought to the Canadians who cannot even put a roof over their heads because of him?
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- Apr/18/24 2:23:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after nine years of this Prime Minister, the cost of living has risen to alarming proportions, food banks are busier than ever, criminals have total impunity and affordable housing is so scarce that Quebeckers are forced to live in motels.
In today's reality, Canadians can no longer afford shelter or even food. This Prime Minister is simply not worth the cost.
Will he show a little empathy for Canadians, or will he keep making their living conditions worse?
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- Apr/11/24 2:24:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, to the already overly long list of this Liberal government's failures, we can add extravagant use of public funds and squandering of Quebeckers' dollars. This government spends Canadians' money like water. For the past eight years, it has had no budgetary discipline, causing the debt to double. It has not balanced a single budget, yet it wants to handle provincial issues. Quebec Premier François Legault has made it clear that this government needs to mind its own business.
Will it listen, yes or no?
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- Apr/11/24 2:23:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of this Prime Minister, we have a passport crisis on our hands, violent crime is on the rise, the cost of housing has doubled, millions of people are using food banks, and criminals are cozy at home. What a fabulous record. Quebeckers are suffering because of his mismanagement. What is more, he is interfering in provincial jurisdictions.
Will he listen to the Premier of Quebec, who is asking him to mind his own business?
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- Apr/10/24 3:24:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, of course, our party joins our colleagues in saluting the longevity of our colleague from Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel. I would also like to point out that our colleague started out as a Conservative. All joking aside, I think we need to emphasize what a demanding job it is to be a member of Parliament, to hold public office and serve the public, in terms of time, self-sacrifice and selflessness.
I will have been doing this for 20 years in about two years' time, and I know how difficult and how time-consuming it can be. Our colleague has been doing it twice as long, for nearly 40 years. That is a lot of self-sacrifice. That is a lot of sacrifice on his part, of course, but also on the part of his family. That is why we also need to acknowledge his family today, including everyone who has stood by him and supported him over the years.
Obviously, we are all taking notes, because we would all like to achieve such a record of longevity. However, it does not happen as often as we would like. In the Quebec National Assembly, which is where I came from and where I sat for nearly 15 years, it was said at the time that the average lifespan of a member was about six years. That just goes to show how much the member for Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel has defied the statistics. I congratulate him on behalf of all my colleagues.
I will close with this: After all these years, I bet the Bloc Québécois member knows Canada's national anthem by heart.
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